A judge in Utah has turned down a defense request to disqualify prosecutors in the case against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who faces charges for the murder of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist.
This decision came during a hearing on February 3rd, where Judge Tony Graff stated that he was not convinced the connection between the prosecutor and his daughter—who was present at the scene when Kirk was shot—would improperly influence the intent to pursue the death penalty against Robinson.
The defense claimed that the entire Utah County Attorney’s Office should be disqualified due to the prosecutor Chad Granander’s daughter being on-site at Utah Valley University during the Turning Point USA event. They argued that this association raised concerns about the fairness of the prosecution.
In response, the county attorney’s office noted that there was no conflict of interest, pointing out that the daughter did not witness the shooting. They emphasized that what she might have said about it was based on hearsay since no one else could confirm the exact nature of the incident.
Robinson’s preliminary hearing is set to begin on May 18th and is expected to last three days. His arraignment is pending and has not yet been scheduled.
